SECCA is excited to announce the launch of two upcoming exhibitions that offer distinct yet interconnected perspectives on the Bega Valley landscape.

The two new solo exhibitions, Among Other Entanglements by Jess MacNeil and Bithry. Time. by Bonita Ely, explore personal and place-based relationships with the natural environment.

We have two leading Australian artists with strong ties to the region expressing very different perspectives but both with a deep sense of place,

SECCA’s Gallery 1 will house Jess MacNeil’s Among Other Entanglements exhibition which displays several works developed during her 2022 residency at Myer House in Mimosa Rocks National Park, hosted by the former Bega Valley Regional Gallery.

Now based in London, Jess was raised in the Bega Valley and is known for her multidisciplinary practice that explores how we relate – physically, conceptually and psychologically – to our environment.

Working across media, but grounded in painting and moving image, she approaches painting as moving images and video and film as painterly.

Bonita Ely’s Bithry. Time. exhibition will be displayed in SECCA’s Chambers Gallery.

Bonita’s exhibition features a series of drawings and video work developed over many decades, beginning in the 1980s,

It also includes a collaborative work, created with her daughter Marina Ely: a rubbing taken from the wooden block floor of the Barn where they stayed each summer for many years. The Barn is an experimental structure built in 1965 by Marina’s grandfather, the architect Roy Grounds.

Bega Valley residents and visitors are invited to the free launch exhibition on Friday 11 July from 5:30pm.

Jess and Bonita will be at the launch so guests will have the chance to meet them and hear about their work.

Both artists offer moving and memorable experiences that will speak to locals and visitors alike. We’re very fortunate to share Bonita Ely and Jess MacNeil’s work at SECCA.

Exhibition opening event: Fri 11 July, 5.30 - 7.30pm

Exhibition dates 12 Jul - 13 Sep

FREE event, all welcome. Bookings encouraged.

Proudly supported by Bega Valley Shire Council.